Improved machine for curving and shaping sheet-metal



Adilutedv guarire DANIEL cUsHINe,4 or' LOWELL,

'MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, GEORGE SMITH, ANDFRANKLIN SMITH.

Letters Patent No; 93,181,1leted August 3, 18,69.

IMPROVED MACHIN FOR CURVING- AND sHAPlNGuHflET-METAL.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same To-all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL GUsHINe, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex, .and` State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Straight-and Curved Sheet-Metal Mouldings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompaiiying drawings, making part of this specification, in whichl 'Figure 1 represents a central vertical longitudinal section;

Figure 2, a side elevation; and

Figure 3, a plan or top View.

Figure i represents a front-end view of that portion of my machine above the supporting-frame.l

Figure 5, a transverse section of such upper portion ou the line A B of iig. 1.

Figures 6 and represent each a portion of the rear end of the head-stock, the operatinggears, and the means of connecting and adjusting them'.

Figure 8 is a top view oi' one of the slides or carriages D, shown in iigs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, with one of' the stands 'D1 detached, showing the-adjusting-slot H.

Figure 9 shows a plan and several sections of rings, or washers, which are used between the sections or parts of the formingfrolls, toehauge or alter the shape, or so as to produce mouldings ot' different form with the 'same rolls.

Figures 10, 1l, and 12, represent sectional rolls of different form, but made` up of the sane, or some of the same parts or sections, /showing in what manner the diiierent sections or parts of such rolls can be adapted for forming mouldings in extensive variety.'

Figures 13 and 14 represent end elevations of two different mouldin'gs formed with the same rolls.

My invention and improvements in machines for forming straight or curved sheet-metal' mouldings consist in connection with changeable sectional. rolls, of rings or washers, e, for setting and holding the different sections apart, thereby extending and 'changing the form ofthe roll or rolls, and consequently thc form or shape and the width of the moulding.

My invention also consists in a 'combination with forming-rolls ot' elongated slides, guides, or ways C, arranged and supported ou' the front end of themachine directly under the forming-rolls, said ways being .provided with grooves or guide-ways, 0r carriages D, .which have removable stands, Dl, and removable and adjustable clamps or dogs c, arranged in the slotted upper ends of the stands, each clamp e beingpro vided with a set-screw, el, to retain the sheet-metal g, (see iig. 4,) which is held up and guided to and from ,the rotating forming-rolls by the clamps, stands, and slides, or carriages, which are moved longitudinally with and in or upon the slides, guides, or ways.

'lhese last-named devices are used when forming straight mouldings, and-these, like the curved mouldings, are formed by iirst raising the upper shaft A and the forming-roll thereon considerably'above the lower roll, placing the sheet-metal between thetwo rolls, securing the ends of -the sheet-'metal with the clamps c, alternately screwing the upper roll down into the metal, and rotating both rolls, and passing the metal between them, passing the sheet-metal between the rolls in one direction, then screwing down the upper roll, then passing the sheetn1etal between the rolls in .the opposite direction, and again, screwing down the upper roll, and so on, until, by the action of the rolls, the moulding is formed.

In forming one kind of a curved moulding, and of medium or small dimensions, a segment or semicircular piece, E, as shown in red lines in iig. 3, is cut from a sheet of thin metal. l

Two of the clamps are removed from stands D1, or theclamps and stands together are removed fror'na slide, D, and attached to arms D2, which are pivoted to-the outer end of a beam, D, projecting from the ways or table C?, where it is securely fastened.

The pivot f of the arms D2 represents the centre `or vradius of the segmentary plate, and this centre may be changed by changing the pivot f. into another hole,

b2, in thebeam, orby moving the stands in slots e2, made in the opposite ends of the arms D2.

The segmentary plate Eis placed between the lower and the upper raised roll, and the clamps set and adjusted on the edge of the plate, the rolls rotated,.and the top one screwed down, and the plate swung round between them, rst in one direction, thenin the opposite direction, each time screwing down the upper shaft and roll, until, by. the action of the rolls, the curved moulding is finished. A semicircular moulding thus formed, and of suitable dimensions, is used for a window-head, or for the face of an. archway, or for any other purpose, and the straight mouldings formed by the same rolls will match the curved moulding andA fornithe sides of the Window or archway. i j

A straight moulding, like that shown in fig. 13, is formed by the rolls when the sections are put together, as shown in figs. 1 and'2, and by placing a ring, a, between the parts or members al and e2, as shown in iig. 3, a wider moulding,.like that shown in fig. 14, will be formed by the rolls. l Y

In this way the horizontal cornice and the rake or raking cornice used for ornamental linish on buildings, are both formed with the same rolls and with the same parts or sections, simply by placing rings of suitable thickness between the different parts or members of the sectional rolls.

A In forming deep mouldings, it is very important and sometimes necessary to set the most prominent memr bers of the rolls apart until the more prominentmembers of the moulding are partially formed. The rings or washers are then removed and sometimes thinner ones substituted and the partly-formed moulding again rolled a few times, and then the thinner washers removed, the sections of each roll brought together, and the moulding finished. l

This process of gradually drawing the metal into v form and then bringingthe parts of the rolls together,V

the pivoting of the arms D2 so far from the rolls as to make the process and operation impracticable, I employ a bed, F, with guide-rods g1 rising'from its upper side, as shown in figs. 3 and 4. The sheet-metal of which the moulding'is to be formed, or the outer edge thereof, is out on the same circle or curve of the curved row of pins.

This bed F is secured to the top of the ways OG,

` iirst removing or raising the supplementary rolls and shafts, and the previously-prepared sheet-metal passed between the rolls, with its outer edge against thepins,

which guide the curved sheet of metal in `its passage. h etween the rolls.

If a deep moulding is to be formed, the same rule should be observed as in the smaller. curve, or the straight mouldings, viz, to put in the ring or rings while partially forming the prominent members of the moulding.

In forming curved mouldings, as last above described, and with the pins g1 for guides, after the outer edge of the curved metal plate has been turned downward as over the section 3 of the roll, (see gs. l and 2,) the groove or curved indentation thus formed may be placed on the' tops ot' the pins, and thus the metalA guided between the rolls. v

In forming curved mouldings for the interior or exterior ofronnded corners, or for tubular or semi-tubular mouldings, or for any portiony or segment thereof, a straight piece of sheet-metal is provided like that for the straight moulding's. lIn this case, mentary rolls b and bl are brought into action, each or .either of such rolls, and its shat't being raised and secured in position, as clearlyshown in iigs. 3 andy4, and

one roll higher than the other, orboth on the same level, or according to the curve to be formed.

llie supplementary rolls should be raised gradually a little at each time the metal passes between the ibrming-rolls, so as to form the curve while forming the moulding, and this whether the moulding is fonned on a sharp curve, g2, or on a tlatter curve, y, seen in tig. 4, ant skilled in the art to or for which my improvements pertain. i

By the arrangement of the shaft A and A', and by the suspending and adjusting-screws O, and the sliding boxes B, and the gears O1 and C2, and the intermediate gears C3 and C4, the latter being adjustable with and to the former, as before descn'bed, I am enabled to use forming-rolls of large or small diameters, which are necessary or quite important in forming mouldings 011 quick, or sharp, or on ilat curves, and in fact, Vmouldings in extensive variety. VThe smaller the diameters of the forming-rolls, the sharper may be the curve of the moulding.

Forming-rolls may be vused which are so small in diameter, 'as to bring the gears C1 and O2 into contact,

`as shown in iig. 6, or larger rolls, which necessitate the rising of the upper shait A and roll, so as to carry the upper gear away from the lowerone, as shown in tigs.1, 5, and 7. `This brings thein'termediate gears into action, and these are adjusted to the gears on the the supplethis will be clearly understood by those forming-roll shafts, by being movable on a stand, G, or in the curved slot h thereof, or by means, and in a manner equivalent thereto, and shown in lig. 6, which consists of links El, which allow of any reasonable adjustment of the upper shaft A, and by which means the latter and the intermediate gears maybe connected, and these caused to follow ,the upper shaft-` gear in all the adjustments thereof. i

The stands j, which support the shafts of the supplementary rolls, have boxes a, in which 'the shafts. rotate.

These boxes, or bearings are adjustable vertically,` to raise and lower the shafts and their rolls, by means of bolts c1 passingthrough the slot c2 of 'each stand,

vand through the upper eurvedslot Y4 in the plate m.

This curved slot allows the box or bearing to swing, and thus provide for raising or lowering one end of either shaft d, without disturbing the4 opposite end, which is convenient when formin r curved mouldings in the manner shown in fig. 4, and this is of considerable importance in giving some member of the supplementary roll a better y bearing against the surface or" the partially-thrilled moulding, during the rolling or fonning-process. i

The stands f arey also adjust-able laterally by screws .n passing through the slotted feet af. Either of these stands may be moved without moving the other, (except to swing it slightly,) or both stands may be moved at the same time, and thus either supplementary roll and shaft be carried nearer 4to or furtherv from the forming-rolls, as well as higher, or ona level with or below said rolls, so as to aidin Yforming curved mouldings, as shown in fig. 4, or so as to allow the metal plate to pass beneath or' above either of the supple- `mentary rolls, as at g, in iig. 4, below the roll I1.

In figs. 10, l1, and 12, I have shown in eacha roll of different fox-m, but made np of the same or some of the same parts or sections, placed in different relativefpositions.

` 4Each of such rolls must have apartner-roll tomateh it, the parts, sections, or members of which would be the reverse of each roll shown in these figures, and each of such pair of rolls moulding.

rlhese sectional rolls are capable of numerous like changes, thereby producing straight or curved 'mouldings, as described, in extensive variety of ferm and" with the same part-s or sections. This obvia-tes the necessity, and, consequently, the expense of a pair of' forming-rolls, and .the correspondipg `supplementary rolls for each particular forni of mou'lding, and makes a great saving in the cost of the machine.

The supplementary rolls not only aid in forming curved mouldings, and curve the plate-previous to forming the moulding, as shown in fig. 4, but they support the plate or the partially-formed straight moulding, while in the rolling or `forming-process, as it is carried or drawn between the 'forming-rolls by their rolling action, or by the movement of the slides or carriages, andthe stands and clamps therewith con.- n'ected. l

Insteadof changing the pivot f'of the arms D, the beam D may be made adjustable by lapping one part into the other, and by a bolt, a', as clearly shown in iigs. l and 2.

'lhe stands D, which carry the clamps e, are movable and adjustable by a screw, I, passing through a slot, H, in the ground-plate 6, resting on the top oi'1 each slide or carriage, and this adjustment is at times important to bring the clamps into the right position, to secure and retain the end of the plate or the 'partially-fornied moulding, each clamp beingso arranged would form a different-shaped in the slotted top of the stand as to be turnedto any angle, thereby rendering such clamps capable of holding contact with any part of the `end-portion of the plate or of the partially or fully-formed moulding.

Power is applied to operate the forming-rolls in either direction, by' a crank, k, on the end of the lower roll-shaft A, or a clutch, pulley, or gears of common I construction may be applied in the place ofthe crank,

and the machine driven or operated by steam or other power. l

I am aware that a pair of whole or solid rolls has been used for beading sheet-metal cylinders, such as stove-cylinders and pipe.

I am also'aware that a patent was issued to \V. H. Peckham, April 28,1868, fora machine for forming rings, watch-case centres, &c.,.and where solid form ing-rolls were used, but not rolls made inv sections and capableof numerous changes, so as to form a variety of mouldin gs, or niouldings of various forms, with the same rolls or sections, parts or members of such sectional rolls as shown and described in my case, and which is one of thev principal novelties in my invention. I disclaim the whole or solid rolls.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1'. The combination of rings or w. shers a with the sectional dies of forming-rolls, constructed and peralents, with the forming-rolls, all constructed and operating as shown and set forth.

' LlfThe combination of the slotted arms D2, swivelled on beam -D3, and clamping-device, with the forming-rolls, all arranged and operating together as described.

DANL. GUSHING.

Vitnesses:

' J. S. WHITNEY,

JOHN'EORANE. 

